The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Cuphea that is grown for use as an annual plant in container, or for use as a perennial plant for the landscape in frost-free regions. The new cultivar is known botanically as Cuphea llavea×procumbens and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’.
The new Cuphea cultivar ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ is a hybrid plant that resulted from the induced cross-pollination conducted by the inventor in June 2001 at the inventor's nursery in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ was selected by the inventor in December 2003 based on flower shape, flower color and growth habit.
The inventor cross-pollinated an individual plant of the seed parent, Cuphea llavea ‘Tiny Mice’ (unpatented), and an individual plant of the pollen parent Cuphea procumbens (species, not a cultivar, unpatented). Observing that the resulting seedlings exhibited a range of flower colors and flower shapes, the inventor set aside several hundred of these seedlings for further growth trials in order to select the most promising combination of unique flower shape, flower color, and compactness of plant habit. Three, individual clones, from the seedling population were selected by the inventor in 2003. One selection constitutes the present invention, ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’. The other two selections are the subjects of the inventors co-pending applications, ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ U.S. application Ser. No. 11/334,122 and ‘FLAMENCO SAMBA’ U.S. application Ser. No. 11/334,128.
‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ exhibits dense upright habit, large hairy flower buds, large pink flowers, and dark yellow-green foliage. Propagation is accomplished using softwood cuttings. The closest comparison plant known to the inventor is the inventor's co-pending variety Cuphea ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’, which exhibits light red flowers and open, upright habit. ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ is distinguishable from the comparison plant by pink flowers and dense, upright habit.
The new cultivar ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ is distinguishable from the seed parent by flower color and number of flower lobes. The seed parent ‘Tiny Mice’ bears small orange flowers that individually exhibit two identical fused lobes, whereas ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ exhibits pink flowers with six sub-equal lobes per individual flower. ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ is distinguishable from the pollen parent by flower color and plant habit. Cuphea procumbens bears purple flowers and exhibits spreading habit, whereas ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ exhibits pink flowers, and dense, upright habit.
The first asexual reproduction of ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ was conducted by the inventor, in 2003 at the inventor's nursery in Brisbane, Australia. The method used for asexual propagation was vegetative cuttings. Since that time, the distinguishing characteristics of ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ have been determined stable and have reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.